About the Innkeepers
Judy & Robert Hotchkiss
Innkeepers
Judy and Robert Hotchkiss have been renovators since one day in 1972 when they repainted door trim in an old house they rented in the Bremerton/Seattle, WA, area. Since then they revived a series of turn-of-the-century homes in intown Atlanta, but nothing as daunting as a 6,000 square-foot shingle style Victorian located in a small town in rural Northeast Tennessee.
Robert holds a physics degree from Georgia Tech and a law degree from Emory University. He also trained in nuclear submarines. Judy holds a journalism degree and is an avid student of renovation, gardening and photography.
In 1999, after its second massive updating and renovation by Robert and Judy, their country mansion built in 1889 was ready to become Prospect Hill B&B Inn, named for Major Wagner’s mining interests in the area.
Five bedrooms and a two-room family parlor were turned into five guest bedrooms with modern baths. The somewhat finished attic was converted to private space for the owners.
All systems such as plumbing and electrical are new. Central heat and air conditioning were installed on the second and third floors for the first time. Eventually, all the hardwood floors will be lightly sanded and re-finished. All the moldings in the public rooms were stripped of six coats of paint. Walls were smoothed with a Fiberglas product. Five guest rooms are now available for your visit.
Each guest room is different: A private balcony (Room 5), private entrance (Room 1), whirlpool tub for two (Rooms 1, 2, and 4), a luxury bath reached by a private staircase (Room 2).
All rooms have one or more fireplaces and each room is uniquely decorated. The feel of each room is as different as the furniture chosen for it. And when guests decide to explore the inn, they will find the upstairs porch lighted by twinkle lights, rockers on the front porch and the gentle gushing of a fountain in the backyard, near a shaded patio and the Wedding Garden’s grassy lawn with views of two mountain ridges.
Some of Inn’s RecognitionsMartha Stewart Radio 2007 Blue Ridge Country 2006 Travel Virginia/Ghost stories, 2009 USA Today - Sleep with a Ghost, October, 2003Blue Ridge Country 2006 Four Points Magazine |Atlanta, 2005 Fresh Outlook Magazine|2005 Tennessee Magazine |select B&Bs, 2005, 2007 Best Southern Inn|2004 Arrington’s Some Things Go Bump in the Night, by Deborah L. Davis, 2010 The Marble and Other Ghost Tales of Tennessee and Virginia by Joe Tennis 22 to-the-point ghost tales showing how rich the Appalachian mountains culture can be. Many pictures and lots of history | 2008 10 Best/Sleep With Haunted Inns USA Today, October, 2003 Numerous haunted inn guidebooks Appalachian Life (Autumn 2002) Most Romantic Hideaway 2003 Arrington’s B&B Journal|guest vote Appalachian Life (2002) Old-House Journall|2001, featured B&B Marquis Magazine – Autumn, 2000 CNN Online, 2000 Huffington Post 2011 |
Our Chocolate Muffins recipe was included in this cookbook.
Ms. Davis wrote about our peanut butter muffin-loving ghost… |
Inspections, Licenses & Memberships
We are inspected twice annually by the Tennessee Health Department – 99 rating out of 100.
We are members of Professional Association of Innkeepers International and often attend their annual professional training conferences. As well as chamber memberships in Johnson County/Mountain City, TN and Boone, NC, Judy is a long-time member of Garden Writers Association.
Review Links – read for yourself
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What recent guests say:
- “We loved it” ~Matthew and Faith / VA
- “What wonderful hosts!! You have a beautiful ‘home.’ We’re thrilled we spent a relaxing weekend here. Hats off to the ‘chef!!’ The breakfasts and conversation were wonderful” ~ LeighAnn and David, High Point NC
- “Jason and I had a wonderful stay at your inn last night… We enjoyed a glass of wine before heading over for massages then enjoyed the whirlpool before indulging in a feast at a local chef-owned restaurant. This morning was another gourmet meal served in style. Our anniversary will be one of great memories.” ~Martie/NC
- If you like Victorian architecture and seeing the result of a well-done effort to bring and 1889 structure into the 21st century, you’ll truly love this place. ~ Bill, Brentwood, TN
801 W. Main St. | Hwy.67 | Mountain City, TN 423-727-0139 
